The present invention relates generally to a solar panel assembly attachment apparatus and more particularly to a grounding clip which attaches a solar panel frame to a strut.
Traditionally, peripheral mounting frames holding solar or photovoltaic panels are mounted to a supporting structure on a building roof or on the land through use of threaded fasteners and multi-piece brackets. Exemplary traditional devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,758,011 entitled “Adjustable Mounting Assembly for Standing Seam Panels” which issued to Haddock on Jul. 20, 2010, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,317 entitled “Mounting System for Installing an Array of Solar Battery Modules of a Panel-Like Configuration on a Roof” which issued to Tomiuchi et al. on Aug. 22, 2000. These patents are incorporated by reference herein. These devices, however, solely provide frame retention, and are time consuming and complex to install on a job site, such as on top of a windy roof, which thereby incurs significant labor expense and effort.
Another solar panel module fastener is disclosed in German Patent Publication No. 10 2010 022 556 invented by Klaus Hullmann et al. While this fastener is a noteworthy advance in the industry, further improvements are desirable.
Finally, various conventional devices have been used to provide electrical grounding to solar panel assemblies. For example, a grounding lug is attached to a solar panel frame by screws and a wire that extends through a cradle of the lug is retained therein by one or more set screws. An example of this is disclosed in FIG. 1 and the background section of U.S. Pat. No. 7,195,513 entitled “Self-Locking Wire Termination Clip” which issued to Gherardini et al. on Mar. 27, 2007, and is incorporated by reference herein. This patent highlights many of the disadvantages of this lug and threaded fastener approach. Furthermore, this conventional lug and threaded fastener device is time consuming and difficult to install on site and is not easily suited for pre-assembly.
In accordance with the present invention, a solar panel assembly attachment apparatus is provided. In another aspect, a single piece and entirely metallic grounding clip is employed. A further aspect includes a clip or fastener which provides both frame grounding and a frame-to-strut attachment. In still another aspect, a grounding clip having barbs is linearly slid onto a solar panel frame and the clip additionally includes one or more flexible wings which are removably snap-fit into a slot of an elongated and rigid strut. In yet another aspect, two spaced apart and generally C-shaped clamps are coupled to a central mounting section including flexible wings. A method of grounding and attaching a solar panel frame is also disclosed.
The present invention is advantageous over traditional devices. For example, the clip of the present apparatus is inexpensive to manufacture and install. Furthermore, the present grounding clip is suitable for pre-assembly to the frame offsite or at a manufacturing plant, thereby improving quality and reducing assembly cost. Moreover, the present grounding clip allows for simple linear frame attachment and simple linear strut attachment free of extraneous loose parts such as threaded fasteners, nuts and brackets. The multiple clamp and barb configurations of the present apparatus also advantageously increase the electrical grounding continuity and reliability to the solar panel frame as compared to conventional devices. Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims.